In a hope of documenting my thought process about my decision to obtain a PharmD. degree, I begin with the beginning...
First of all, I have a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Colorado at Denver. I graduated summa cum laude, and completed the program as I was raising my children in their early years. I thoroughly enjoyed the program, learning the nuts and bolts of what science understood about human life. I enjoyed the chemistry and made it through the physics and some of the other requirements of the degree. I completed pre-medical courses just in case I decided that medical school was in my future. I was also compelled toward various PhD programs in research in the biological field. I even briefly considered pharmacy. This degree was completed in 1998 and my children were still too young for me to pursue an intense full time program such as medical school. I felt I had time to contemplate and would focus on my family and parenting.
Meanwhile, my health declined, due to stress, unexpressed emotions, and many other things. A dear friend of mine suggested I receive acupuncture to help with what I was experiencing. Having my first acupuncture treatment was life changing for me. I was able to make health- and life-changing decisions, and within a couple years found myself a single parent and in acupuncture school.
I completed the Master's in Chinese medicine, which includes 3 and 1/2 years of learning theory, the fundamentals of acupuncture, including point location, energetics and formulas for illnesses, as well as the many many herbs, both singly and combined in formulas to also assist with many ailments. After completing this master's degree program I sat for the national board examinations and became Diplomate in both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.
For the past four years I have enjoyed being in practice, putting into place the things I have learned, and learning many new things that pertain to "real life" patients in Western society. One of these being the reality that many patients live and exist in a Western society, with a very Western medical mindset and are taking a variety of Western pharmaceuticals. In school we have one class that covers pharmacology and pharmacognosy (the pharmacology of herbs). This is nowhere near enough, but is all we have to go by as Chinese Medical practitioners unless we take continuing education courses on this topic. I have completed a few of these courses as part of the recertification process for the Diplomate certifications. I spend quite a bit of time doing research for those patients who come to see me who are interested in trying Chinese herbal medicine, yet are taking the pharmaceuticals which might have various possible interactions that are important to know.
As a practitioner of Chinese medicine during this time in history in Western society, even though it is becoming more and more accepted as mainstream, it can be a challenge to build a practice as an entrepreneur to be self sufficient to support a family. Many practitioners have supplemental income, sometimes through the income of a spouse, additional jobs, or some other means. For me it has mainly been through child support, and various jobs through the years, including working as the academic dean for the acupuncture school.
This past June, after I'd been working on my practice full time (after having resigned from the Academic Dean position) for about 8 months, my practice declined to very minimal numbers. Low enough for me to fully realize that without the supplemental income I would have been in great financial trouble. It also was a wake up call for the reality that this supplemental income will be ending in the next few years. Since I had plenty of time to contemplate the situation, I did a parasite cleanse, and gained much clarity on my future. It became clear, now as my children are leaving the nest, that it is time to begin pursuing the process of applying to pharmacy school. Pharmacy school was chosen for a few reasons. One, it is "only" four years. Two, I have most of the pre-requisites for the program completed since they are the same as the pre-medical pre-requisites. Three, completing this degree would help me obtain the information I need to assist with my Chinese medical patients, and four, the Chinese herbal medicine knowledge I have can be used to assist in the Western medical field.
Those were my initial thoughts as I got the ball rolling on the application. It was a piece of cake to apply, fun even, so that is a good sign.
During that first month of the process, I saw myself writing at least three books. One from and for the perspective of Western allopathic medicine concerning Chinese herbal medicine and how it can fit. Another for and from the perspective of Chinese medicine, on the world of Western medicine and how it fits together,or possibilities, etc. And the third as a patient advocate in informing the "laypeople" of how to talk with their doctors as well as the integrative medical people they might be working with. Including, also, the more common things to be aware of, in terms of herb and drug interactions.
Since this time, it has also become apparent that as herbal and supplemental medicine may become more greatly regulated by the FDA, and the role of Chinese medical "pharmacist" is released from our scope of practice, a practical portion of the solution might be to become a pharmacist and learn how becoming an "herbal pharmacist" could be a possibility for those in my current field. I currently have no idea of how this looks or could look, it is solely an awareness of a possibility.
So, now as the various pharmacy school interviews are impending, which is very exciting as I see the fruits of my labors from last summer (and from much earlier) begin to manifest, I know that these visions will mold and shape, as I learn more about both medical paradigms, and learn how to bridge between them, in a concise manner that will be greatly beneficial to everyone who endeavors to learn more and take more control of their health.
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